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SaltClan/Info
History Pangaea clan Big SaltClan Post-Split Territory Flora and fauna See also: SaltClan/Flora and Fauna Culture Lifestyle :Water becomes even darker at night, so SaltClan cats are primarily active at dusk and dawn. The clan awakes before sunrise, and stays active until just before noon, before sleeping during the heat of the day. The clan attempts to catch the evening, as it's still bright outside, and the bone-chilling ocean is warmer in the evening after being heated all day. :Their diet primarily consists of shore birds (pipers, plovers, gulls, etc), caught along the beaches and rocks, and sea food. Fish are caught in the bay, just north of their territory, and shellfish such as crab or clams are found near or along the jetty that forms the southern mouth of the bay. SaltClanners are often divers, and will occasionally dive for shellfish, too, if populations along the jetty are unreliable. Cats use the steep cliffs to the north east of their territory to drop clams or mussels from great heights, and others wait below to gather the now-shattered shells. :Although SaltClan is surrounded by water, none of it is fresh-water save for the mountain streams that flow to the west from the higher-elevation forests. A cool mountain stream forms the southern border of both the summer camp and the winter camp, so fresh water is readily available to them year-round. Camp :SaltClan has two established camps. In the summer, when the weather is warmer, the clan camps in the middle of their sandy marshes. Streams criss-cross the terrain in the summer, and the main stream, known as "Red Stream", flows directly from among their ancestral redwoods to the east, and out to the ocean. This stream forms the southern border of the summer camp. Warriors and apprentices nest among the lavender and grasses, while leaders, deputies, healers, queens, and some elders take up residence in some of the old burrows that litter their sunken clearing. As weather is foul in the winter, giant logs, often hollow or raised up enough to form a burrow beneath, end up randomly scattered around this clearing, and are used for dens as well. Just in case, all nests sit on top of "mats" of sticks, to allow them to float in the event of a massive wave taking out the camp. :In Autumn, when periods of daylight grow shorter, the cats send regular patrols to the winter camp, to begin clearing it of any animals that took up residence in it during the summer. Halfway through autumn, when the birds migrate, SaltClan moves east, to the winter camp. :The winter camp is a clearing below the ancestral redwood trees, that mark the border of the forest and the grasslands. All dens are burrows beneath the trees and boulders. This camp is protected from the stormy winter winds and the risk of great waves wiping out the camp altogether. Cats take their collections of shells and rocks from the warm months and decorate the dreary winter dens. Winter nests are made of soft moss and feathers. To stay warm, cats may share larger nests with mates or friends. :When the days become noticeably longer, during early spring, scouts are yet again sent out to locate and prepare the summer camp. Dens that may have been filled in with sand and debris are cleaned out, logs are shuffled, and the area is tidied up. The clan moves back in mid-spring. Religion See also: SaltClan/Mythology Appearance :SaltClan cats spend time on land and in the water, but their main focus is the ocean. Pelts must be thick and oily, otherwise a cat will struggle to survive. All pelt lengths are common, as long as the fur is thick. Due to the salty air, their pelts tend to be gritty, dry at the ends, and taste and smell of salt. Longer-furred cats often see the ends of their fur become curly over continuous exposure to the water, as salt water is harsh on the delicate oils that protect the hair's strength and shape. :Their builds are usually streamlined: semi-foreign and foreign are the most common. Long noses, big paws, and big ears help speed up dives and cutting through water. Cats are muscular, and thick tails help act as rudders underwater. Large, expressive eyes are another characteristic of the clan, as their terrain takes an emotional toll on most members of the clan. :SaltClan cats come in a wide array of colors and patterns, and find jobs for almost all. Dark cats with lighter underbellies, (smokes or bicolors) do well as divers and swimmers, as prey from below and above won't notice them. Lighter-colored cats, in dull tones (creams, pale grays) do well as land-hunters, as they blend in with the grasses and sand. Ticked and spotted tabbies are the most common type of tabby, however, much of the clan is comprised of minks or points. Smoke cats and bicolor cats are extremely common, while solid white cats and classic or mackerel tabbies are not. Rules Inter-clan Relationship :SaltClan is very loose on inter-clan relationships. However, if kittens are a product, SaltClan prefers if the kittens come to their clan. They have many jobs and roles to fill, as so the larger the clan, the better. In previous years, SaltClan has been known to go to war with their neighbors to win custody of half-clan kits, and SaltClan readily accepts newcomers, such as loners or rogues. However, SaltClan draws the line at kittypets, as they are often too soft to adapt to the clan. (Kittypet kits, on the other hand...) Language Naming Please see SaltClan/Naming for a suggested prefix and suffix guideline. Ranks Ranks are listed below in order of hierarchy; ranks listed first are held with more respect and may know information or have special tasks given to them over lower ranked cats. Leader :(a freakin mess) The leader is the head of the clan. The leader possesses supreme power over all actions of the clan. SaltClan seeks leadership from bloodlines, meaning the leader is under pressure to produce an heir as soon as they rise to power. Leaders will choose from their children to give the position, unless the leader has failed to produce a suitable heir, in which case the leader chooses from their team of deputies. The leader is advised by their deputies, which they more or less select themselves. :The leader chooses when to go into battle, and acts as the problem solver of the clan. The leader may act as a judge in some situations, hearing out the issues of their followers. When storms caused by the sea goddess' anger hits the coast in the winter, the leader, along with the advice of the oracle, chooses what (or whom) to sacrifice to appease her. The leader names warriors and determines if their training is complete or not. All ceremonies, except those run by the Oracle for healers, are run by the leader. :Leaders often do not go into battles themselves, as they are, besides the oracle, the most important member of the clan. Leaders are generally advised against raising families of their own, but a leader secure in their role may take a mate and have kits. As their word is law, they may manipulate clan rules as they see fit. Oracle :The Oracle is the head spiritual leader of the clan. An oracle is chosen by their predecessor out of the predecessor's healers, when the predecessor receives word from Sobenar. An oracle trains a group of healers to work beneath them. The healers take on most of the doctoring of the clan, while the oracle works with the gods and their ancestors. Oracles have been known to be mediums, and be able to communicate with spirits from beyond. :Oracles spend a majority of their time, outside of training apprentices, at the beach, where it's believed they have the strongest communication with Sobenar. They await her instructions, omens, and decrees. Oracles choose which cats have displeased Sobenar when the winter storms come, and which cats are punished. Oracles help the leader choose deputies, as well, and look into the deities of other clans. They are a heap of knowledge, and are consulted with every move the clan makes. Deputies :Typically a group of two to four cats, the deputies act as advisers to the leader. They help the leader and oracle interpret messages or signs from the gods, and make their own decisions, while attempting to persuade the leader to agree with them. Ultimately, the leader's word is law, so if they disagree, they cannot do anything about it. Deputies help command patrols, and help the leader select cats for his or her infantry when the need for one arises. :The leader may take their time in naming a successor, but the successor must be their child or next of kin, and a deputy first. There have been cases where a leader has named a successor, died, and the other deputies have ganged up to kill the successor and push their own candidate. If no kits are born to the leader before their death, and no viable relatives are living in the clan, the role of leadership changes to the senior-most deputy. :They are typically very elitist, and struggle to form friendships with the warriors of the clan. Messengers :Messengers play a role kept secret from the rest of the clan. They appear to be ordinary warriors, but under the cover of night or during the heat of the day, they dash along the "free zone" between clans, collecting information from spies. They arrange meetings a day or two in advance, and then meet with the spies for a period of time, to collect as much information about enemy clans as they can. :After receiving their information, a messenger returns to the clan, and meets with deputies. They are often given the suffix "-watcher", to help higher-ranked cats identify them. Only one messenger goes to a meeting with a spy at a time, to keep suspicions low in the enemy clans. There have been cases where a messenger has been murdered in the free zone by enemy clans, and the information they gathered is lost to SaltClan forever. However, this hasn't happened in quite some time, and SaltClan has had excellent luck with their secret programs. Spies :Spies are one of the most important roles an apprentice may earn. Typically, spies are chosen around 7 moons of age, based on their appearance and ability to preform daunting tasks. They are reassigned deputies as mentors, and after receiving training about the clan they are to join, they are sent to live in the "free zone" to disguise their scent and homeland. They are announced as "dead" or "missing" to the general population of SaltClan. The spies then join the enemy clan under a new loner name, and claim to have distant SaltClan heritage, to lower suspicion. As SaltClan cats are promiscuous among cat populations, this is common and won't raise alarm. :Spies meet with messengers once every few days to share information. Spies in the past have been caught by their host clan and executed. If they live to be old, and wish to retire, SaltClan demands that they return to them. If they refuse, and prefer to stay in the host clan, they are killed by the infantry. Spies are discouraged from taking a mate or having kits. Infantry :The infantry is a special team of cats assembled by the deputies to preform secret tasks for the leader. Typically, they are stealthy, sneaky, and quiet, and are used to locate a spy or messenger who has disobeyed the wishes of the leader. They usually act as assassins, and kill said traitor. The general population of the clan suspects that the leader has a private army of sorts, but the infantry is sworn into secrecy about their roles, and act as normal warriors otherwise. Healers :Healers are the apprentices of the Oracle. Healers are fully trained in the art of healing cats, using poultices and herbs. If there are multiple healers, they are allowed to take a mate or have kits with other members of the clan, but are generally discouraged from inter-clan relationships. (This is a flexible rule.) Healers dabble in religious practices, and are trained general information about visions or omens. Generally, healers are well-liked and must be social and kind. :The successor of the Oracle is named by the Oracle from their team of healers. The successor is tossed into heavy training about interpretations, visitations, and receiving information from their ancestors or gods. Elders :Retired cats, typically around nine or ten years of age, are allowed to become freeloaders. Others hunt and gather for them, and elders relax in the camp, finally free of duties. There are rarely many elders, and disabled cats or seriously injured cats may retire to this role at an earlier age. Queens :Queens are pregnant or nursing mothers, who raise kittens. Queens often raise their kittens with multiple other queens, taking on a group method of teaching. A queen's own kits may not even sleep in ehr nest, preferring to be with a different litter. Naming and initially nursing her own litter is strictly the birth mother's role, and everything else is up to the group. :Older females who have had multiple litters may live among the queens, rather than the erlders, to help younger mothers. If there is only one or two queens, experienced females from the clan will help in the group-rearing strategy. Warriors :The general population of mature cats in the clan. Warriors hunt, fight, and gather supplies. They form patrols to check borders, weather, or terrains. They are expected to work towards the betterment of the clan as a group, rather than for themselves. Apprentices :The general population of juvenile cats in the clan. Apprentices are given one primary mentor who they shadow, but just as they were raised as kits, most adult cats all participate in educating the new generation. Apprentices become warriors. Kits :The general population of infant or young cats in the clan. Kits are named by their birth mothers, but their primary education comes from the group efforts of all queens in the clan. They become healers or apprentices around 6 moons of age, although this number may differ depending on maturity or conditions in the clan itself.